Nashik rural police busted a high-profile rave party that was going on at a bungalow in Igatpuri. During the raid, police officials recovered narcotic substances and cash, as well as 22 persons have been arrested and taken into custody. Those arrested include two prominent choreographers, a former Big Boss contestant, and four actresses from the Hindi and South Indian film industry. The arrested persons had gathered at the bungalow to celebrate the birthday of a cricket bookie. All the arrested people have been taken for medical examination. Sources say that a foreigner was also present at the party. Out of the 22 arrested, sources informed that there are 10 males and 12 females. The bookie has also been taken into custody. According to a Nashik rural police superintendent Sachin Patil, “These 22 persons include several artists and choreographers who have been arrested by the police. The team has seized drugs and some money from the party. Medical examination of the arrested persons is underway.”Nashik rural police have said that they are still waiting for details.

The police have arrested one bookie also whose birthday celebration it was at Igatpuri Sky Taj Villa. The arrested people include: Piyush Shetiyar, Aarac, Vishal Mehta, Rohit Arora, Chandani Bhatija, Shruti Shetty, Sachin Narvekar, Hina Panchal, Arpita, Sheena, Priti Choudhry, Shanya Kaur, Karishma, Varun Bafana, Aakivand and one foreign national Azaar Faarnud.

According to the police, drugs have been found in commercial quantities. The police source is also trying to check if there is any prostitution racket between entertainment industry and such events.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC ) has formed a seven-member committee to look into the post-poll violence in West Bengal. This decision of the NHRC is in compliance with the High Court order on 18 June. The committee has started receiving representations from complainants from Sunday, as per an official.

The members of the committee met the victims/complainants from 4 pm on Sunday and will meet from 10 am on Monday at the Staff Officer Mess of the CRPF at Salt Lake, the official said.

According to the official, the panel members and several other teams of the National Human Rights Commission “have been touring various places of West Bengal and inquiring into the veracity of these allegations.”

On 18 June, the HC had ordered the NHRC to constitute a committee and visit those places where post-poll violence complaints were registered, with the report to be filed by 30 June.

Following this, on 21 June, the West Bengal government filed an application seeking recall of the order. The government had claimed that it was not given adequate opportunity to place all facts on record, including the steps it took to address the violence.

The HC, however, dismissed the plea, stating that it had to involve the NHRC because there were allegations that the police was not acting on complaints. The five-judge bench, headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, observed that the June 18 order was passed after the state failed to inspire the court’s confidence.

The NHRC team is looking into the aspects of how many complaints have been lodged, what are the steps being taken by the local administration, and how many people were allegedly forced to flee their homes.

Retired Justice Girish Gupta, chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) questioned the efficiency of NHRC before setting foot in the state. Citing an example, Gupta claimed that the efficiency of the WBHRC is more than that.

He gave the details of the incident. West Tripura District Magistrate Shailesh Kumar Yadav, who forcibly stopped two wedding ceremonies being held in violation of the night curfew in place to check the spread of Covid-19, is accused of gross misconduct during the raids on 26 April. It includes allegedly slapping a priest, shoving one of the grooms and arresting everyone present at the weddings. Gupta told us that he informed about this incident in a letter to the NHRC but to no avail. He said, “I was later told that the matter had been reported to the Chief Secretary. I passed the judicial order but my name was not mentioned.” Gupta questioned the efficiency of the NHRC, citing the example of his work.

-With PTI inputs

Puducherry gets its first woman minister in over four decades with the induction of AINRC legislator Chandira Priyanga in the N. Rangasamy-led coalition cabinet.

Late Congress leader Renuka Appadurai was the last woman minister from the Union Territory during the 1980-83 period. She was the Education Minister of the DMK-led coalition ministry.

Chandira Priyanga is also one of the youngest ministers in the Puducherry cabinet. She is also the first SC women in the cabinet.

Ending over a month-long suspense over cabinet formation, five ministers, including two from the BJP, were inducted in the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy-led NDA cabinet on Sunday. A. Namassivayam, K. Lakshminarayanan, C. Djeacoumar, Chandira Priyanga and A.K. Sai J Saravana Kumar were sworn in as ministers by Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan.

Lakshminarayanan, Djeacoumar and Priyanga represent lead partner AINRC, while Namassivayam and Saravana Kumar are from its ally BJP.

This is the first time the saffron party is part of a Ministry in the Union Territory.

President Ram Nath Kovind, while visiting his hometown for the first time since assuming office, bowed and touched the soil of his village Paraunkh in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel greeted him upon arrival.

The President is currently on a tour of his native village.

On Sunday morning, he reached Paraukh village in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. As he landed, he touched the soil of his native land to pay obeisance to the land of his birth. 

Kovind along with wife and daughter visited the temple of local deity Pathri Devi, where he offered prayers. He also visited Paraukh village along with the Governor and Chief Minister. He participated in quite a few programmes there including addressing people at the primary school in Paraunkh village. Apart from this, he interacted with his old acquaintances, MLAs, BJP leaders and public representatives. 

Noting the contribution of his hometown in his journey, the President said: “Wherever I am, the smell of the soil of my village and the memories of the residents of my village are always present in my heart. For me, Paraunkh is not just a village, it is my motherland, from where I have always been inspired to go ahead and serve the country.”

“I had never imagined even in my dreams that an ordinary boy like me from the village would get the privilege of discharging the responsibilities of the highest office of the country. But our democratic system has shown this by doing it,” President Kovind added.

After 15 years, the President travelled by train. Earlier, the President, accompanied by First Lady Savita Devi Kovind, boarded a special train to his native place Kanpur, reviving an old tradition of the Head of State travelling in a presidential saloon. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the last President to use a presidential saloon in 2006.  

Following the success in creating a niche in several high-growth sectors, Darwin Platform Group of Companies (DPGC) on Sunday announced the great strides it is making in military and scientific advancements. To equip Indian defence with new-age military equipment, the DPGC showcased the prototypes of indigenously designed and developed military equipment based on Molecular Nano Technology (MNT). For this ambitious project, DPGC partnered with the Robotics Lab at Woxsen University, Hyderabad for designing and developing these prototypes. Under the project, the DPGC plans to provide three MNT-based equipment—Military Jackets, Arms and Ammunition & Laser-Guided Munition and Guidance against Laser Guided Bombs—to the Indian forces for upkeeping our defence. 

Announcing a path-breaking initiative, DPGC Group CEO Dr Raja Roy Choudhury said, “These scientific and military advancements will be all part of DPGC’s aim to resonate with the Indian Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. The research in MNT is being led by Indian scientists and researchers. We, through this path-breaking initiative, aim to provide our soldier with new-age military equipment so that they can defend our borders vigorously without compromising their safety.” 

According to experts, MNT is a scientific advancement where duplicates are created which are smaller, more functional, lighter and cheaper than the original copy. This type of technology can have major military applications. MNT may just be the power that makes India stand up against the global superpowers who want to assert their dominance.

“For the development of advanced analytic systems, we have collaborated with the Robotics Lab at Woxsen University, Hyderabad. These systems will be created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and RPA software for commercial use. Woxsen University will also assist in the R&D of the prototypes being developed by DPGC This project is being entirely funded by DPGC. The strategic partnership with the University is aimed at making India safer and the move resonates with the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative also. As prototypes are ready, we would start supplying advanced military equipment to our armed forces soon, subject to necessary approvals,” added Dr Choudhury.

An Indian Soldier has to carry his bulletproof vest (3 kg), weapon (4 kg), ammunition (10 kg), resources like water (3 kg) and other protective wearing. So, soldiers have to carry at least 20 kg to perform their duty. This reduces their performance and can put them in danger. MNT on the other hand can ensure that a soldier’s equipment doesn’t weigh more than 10 kg and is a much better upgrade than the previous weapons.

Military jackets based on MNT are much lighter and have the same or more strength. Uses of Light Bending Nano-Technology is being used to fabricate camouflage technology into clothing that is being worn by officers in war zones. Sensors are being used that can also be used as damage detection systems-physical nano-sensors could detect fractures in military equipment.

Urging people to shed vaccine hesitancy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon people to trust science and get themselves inoculated soon.

Addressing the nation through radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi sought to tackle vaccine hesitancy, which has been palpable in a section of the population, and spoke to some residents of Dulariya village, a tribal area in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, as they shared fears and doubts being spread about the jabs.

“I urge you all to trust science. Trust our scientists. So many people have taken the vaccine. Let us never believe on negative rumours relating to the vaccine,” Prime Minister Modi said in a bid to quell vaccine hesitancy.

Terming India’s Covid vaccine programme as perfect template for world, the Prime Minister said India has made commendable efforts in vaccinating the citizens. “I have taken both doses. My Mother is almost hundred years old, she has taken both vaccines too. Please do not believe any negative rumours relating to vaccines,” he added.

The PM also reminisced his memories with former athlete Milkha Singh and shared how motivated Singh was when it came to Indian sports.

“I will always cherish my interactions with Shri Milkha Singh Ji. When talking about the Olympics, how can we not remember Milkha Singh Ji. When he was hospitalised, I got a chance to speak to him, I had requested him to motivate the athletes going for Tokyo Olympics,” PM Modi shared.